Technics SX-P50

very easy, plug in and play, even a drummer could do it!

fantastic action, feels like a real piano. Very few options with regards to sequencing but that isn't what this is intended for. I rarely use the onboard effects apart from the leslie effect for the organs.

Sounds are excellent. Works well as a solo piano or as i use it, in
a rock band. I have even plugged straight into a desk and recorded with it. Very rewarding keyboard, responds exactly how you want it to. Headphone sound is especially good.

i've gigged twice a week for about 5 months with it now, had no problems,

It't the best stage piano on the market all things considered. The only thing it lacks and i miss occaisionally is being able to split the keyboard, although the layered sounds are good. Overall it's a great piece of kit for either silent practising or gigging

Just as simple as it could be. Plug and Play !

Keyboard action is wonderful. It gets so close from the real thing that you may forget you're playing an electronic instrument. I did not expect that much. Moreover, the three levels of dynamic response help adjusting it to your taste.

The piano presets are great. To my ears, the best I have found on any digital piano or expander. Playing it through headphones is pure magic. When it comes to amplifying it, some dramatic EQing may be necessary to get a good result (the first try can be a little disappointing). But it is worth it. Play it through an EQ and an external reverb processor, you will not regret it
The other presets are OK, but do not replace dedicated modules.
The reverbs are OK, but I would have liked to tweak them a bit. I rather use no reverb : when you turn it off, you get strings resonance instead. And this is good stuff.

It feels rock-solid, but I have had it for two weeks only.

I guess this keyboard is too simple to justify any support.

I would buy it again. It is worth more than its price.
I've started playing when I was 5. I own a Wurlitzer EP, a Roland XP-30 & a few sound modules + a PC based setup (Cubase + virtual synths).
I've chosen this one because it sounded better than much more expensive portable pianos. It is perfect for most styles, very inspiring : I'm happy.

The p50 is an incredible piece of technology. The keyboard itself is very easy to use. Switching sounds, transposing, the digital effects. . .etc. The man who sold the keyboard to me was an old old man in his mid to late 80's, and he had just gotten this piano in that week, and he knew how to work it. Technics did a very nice job on making all of the features very accesible. Its very easy for say to switch from a Pop Grand sound to a string-vibe sound all the time while you're still playing on your first sound. If that makes any sense. Ease of use being 10, the frustration level is 0. well. . the technical part of the piano, not the playing as most know.

The p50 has 18 sounds, and you can alter all of them somewhat with digital effects, resonance amplifiers, digital reverb, that kind of thing. The keys on the keyboard are weighted just like a full grand piano, the touch is so incredibly realistic. The keyboard doesn't have spring keys like most keyboards up to $3000, it has fully weighted hammer keys that feel just like the real thing. Its something you have to feel for yourself. Well actually, if you've played a piano before, you'll know what this feels like. The midi connection works though your computer just like anyother midi supporting keyboard will. But i really would of liked to see an on board mixer so you can control the right left volume, and the volume when using more than one instrument. Well, you can control the volume of the mixing of two instruments, but i would of liked to see a dial instead of an interface which takes a couple of seconds to get to. But all in all, the p50 is packed with some great features.

The sounds on this thing are. . .well they aren't even funny they are so good. The pianos . . .concert grand . .pop grand. . .upright. . those 3 are just incredible. The strings and vocals are just as crazy. You can get a violin all the way down to a double bass with the string feature. The vocals creeped me out the first time i used them because they sound so realistic. The electric pianos are ok, they're not great. The harpsicord is great, just like a normal harpsichord, the keys are not pressure sensitive. So no matter how hard or soft you play, the sound level is the same. And and and, when you hold the harpsichord down on the keys, you can hear the release of the pluck when you pull your hands off. what detail ay. The organs are great, they're are like. . 10 of them, to many to talk about. Great sounds. . but the electric pianos might be improved upon.

Reliable, well, i've only had this for a very short time, but i've heard stories of older technics lasting hundreds of thousands hours and still going strong, so i am not concerned about the p50 breaking down or anything. Also, the older technics were plastic, the body of this piano is brushed aluminum, and damn does it look awesome. Its a matte silver finish that just looks great. But as reliability is concerned, it rocks.

yeah, i have a 3 year no questions asked warranty on it, and there aren't any problems that i've had to deal with so far. But when we called to ask about the warranty, they were very very willing to help, and weren't annoying, or in a normal microsoft tech support bad mood.

You can't beat this. . .maybe unless you have thousands and thousands of dollars, but i would rather take this, than a $3000 yamaha just because of the features, the sound, and the feel.

VERY,VERY ,EASY "JUST TAKE IT OUT OF THE BOX AND PLAY IT"

VERY NICE,BUT VERY HEAVY MORE WEIGHTED KEYS THAN THE ROLAND RD SERIES AND THE REAL ACOUSTIC PIANOS,LIKE THE BOSSENDOFER ECT.

VERY REAL PIANO SAMPLES,BUT THE XP80 PIANO IT SOUNDS MORE REAL FOR ME,THE ELECTRIC PIANOS ARE EXELLENT

DONT KNOW YET

NO PROBLEM YET

FOR THE PRICE RANGE ,IS THE BETTER CHOICE ,BECAUSE THE RD150,AND 100 THE PIANO SAMPLES SOUND TO ELECTRIC,THE ONLY THING I DONT LIKE IS THAT WHEN YOU PRESS THE SUSTAIN PEDAL AT THE ORGANS SOUND IT DECAES LIKE THE PIANO SOUNDS,WHITCH IS NOT NORMAL ON ANY KEYBOARD,THAT HAS ORGAN OR STRING SOUND,WHEN YOU PRESS THE SUSTAIN PEDALS,IT SHOULD KEEP THE SOUND UNTIL YOU RELEASE THE PEDAL.ITS A TECHNICS MISTAKE

This piano is being used as the primary instrument for a person who played for years as a child/teen, and then "lost touch" with the keyboard for a few years (~8). Buying it was my way of getting back into playing but having the versatility of practising on my own and having other sounds (like church organ) to use.

A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW IS THAT THIS PIANO DOES NOT HAVE BUILT-IN SPEAKERS. Therefore, you must either use headphones, or have speakers dedicated for the unit. That being said, the quality of sound from both headphones and speakers is phenomenal.

I am pleased with the variety of sounds available. I use mostly the grand, upright, and organ sounds. There are many different organ sounds to choose fromm - all sound fantastic.

The included music stand is strong, made of metal, and fits securely into two holes on the back of the unit. It has a nice "rippled" base so that sheet music will not slip away from the stand.

The manual is decent. The foot switch is adequate, but nothing special. I would have preferred a proper pedal, but I have been happy with the included pedal. The unit does not come with either a cover for the keys (I will be making one to protect the beautiful keys) or a carrying case.

I do use the MIDI capabilities to my computer as a sequencer. No on-board sequencer is included, although I would never use one in any case (I need more features than are typically provided with "on-board" sequencers).

I am floored by the sound from this unit. I close my eyes and truly believe I am using the old upright piano that I learned on, except now it is in tune all of the time, and I can actually play extremely high and low notes without hearing terrible noises! I use it mostly for classical piano playing, experimenting with current radio music, and organ for hymns. I can't state strongly enough how much I love the sound. Until I was shopping for this unit, I didn't realize how far digital pianos had come in the last 5 years. You will not be dissapointed if you are looking for authentic piano/organ/electric organ sounds. People needed a larger sound bank should not be looking at this unit.

I have been using the unit for one month. No problems.

No dealings have so far been necessary.

I would replace this unit the very day somebody stole it. It is beautiful to look at, fantastic to play, and is very portable, especially given its features. No other piano I could find could match its balance of price/features/portability. I am very happy with the purchase.

I did not buy this, although I very very nearly did and have only used it in a piano shop; it's easy to play and swap instruments, brightness etc.

Keyboard action felt just a little too light for a piano (the Yamaha P-50 was better). It had that 'keyboard' feel to it, rather than a piano feel, although it has graded hammer action (or progressive, I think they call it).
It only had one headphone socket; most have two.
It did not have a metronome built in.

The reason I am submitting this is because I think the sound is unparalleled as far as similar stage pianos are concerned. The sampling of the Steinway is so much more pleasant the the sampling of the Yamaha grands.
Not only was the sound the best, I like a mellow tone and this gave me the most mellow tone I found for electronic pianos. The range of mellow to bright seemed much wider than the Yamaha P-80. Incidentally, I didn't feel the Roland FP3(?) didn't come close to matching the Technics in sound.
I did just wonder if it would be too 'subdued' at the most mellow setting and if there would be enough power to get an ff sound. Without living with it for a bit, I can't comment on that.

N/A

The reason I didn't buy this product in the end was because I noticed most of the shops and magazines did not stock it. I asked around and the answer I had was that Technics weren't as good as Yamaha and Roland on support and spare parts took ages to come and also they didn't keep as many spares for older models as did the others. I was disappointed because I thought I'd made my decision to go with the P-50. In the end I bought the P-80 (Yamaha) despite the sound not being as nearly as good (in my mind).

I'm working for my Grade VIII and have an acoustic piano but also have neighbours next door and below so wanted a light-weight cheapish fully weighted 88 key piano to practise at night. I thought nothing beat the Technics for the sound; not even the higher end of the Clavinova range. I don't play Grand Pianos so wouldn't really know how it compares to those. It has the most mellow sound and was also the cheapest (#20 cheaper than the Yamaha P-80). The main reason I didn't buy it was because no-one seemed to stock it (only one place) and I'd heard reports of bad post-sales support and thought I'd listen to what seemed to me to be warning bells. (The Yamaha had a heavier touch, too, which I saw as a good thing).

Ease of use... you plug it in, turn it on, and play! The system remembers previous configuration even when unplugged for several hours, great for setting and heading out to a gig.

The power supply is hefty. It may cover several outlets.

The manual is decent.

Very few features, but that isn't a big deal for me. Stereo/L+R outputs, 18 sounds, sustain, headphone, MIDI in and out (including pressure sensitive keys). Reverb, three modes touch sensitivity, five steps brilliance. No expansion, really.

Suits me just fine. I call this the "keyboard for pianists" - great sound, easy to use, very few frills.

Three piano sounds are all beautiful. The upper sounds are nice and woody, and the bass is very rich. The middle range is good when hit very hard (nice crisp sound).

Upright is nice and mellow. Combine it with reverb and you've got a pseudo honkytonk sound great for rag. The concert grand (main) is perfect for classical and solo jazz. For a pop or rock sound, or when blending with other sounds, choose the bright sounding pop grand.

Sound through the headphones is beautiful. The stereo sampling makes this keyboard a delight for primarily acoustic pianists. When connected to a decent 50-watt amp or better sound system, the keyboard maintains a decent sound, rivaling any other keyboard I've ever heard. However, it starts sounding more like a keyboard again.

There are a few sour notes on the keyboard. The Ab, A, and Bb above middle C lack the "punch" the others give when you press them hard. The middle range also seems to suffer a bizarre "WOW" sound (repeat the word aloud to get the effect) when keys are pressed at moderate pressure. Perhaps this is a failed attempt at a more "genuine" sound? Whatever the case may be, these annoyances generally are tolerable and/or inaudible unless you attempt to listen for them.

The action is second to none. Although the action is a little too light for my touch, it feels just like a real piano! The weighted keys match a full sized grand.

I have used this keyboard for several gigs. It is currently my only keyboard, and therefore I never have a backup. It is dependable, rugged, and light (38lbs?). Technics did not have a custom-made bag for the keyboard at the time I purchased it (January 2001), however it fits fine in any full-sized padded bag.

I have never needed customer support.

I have had one dealing with Technics by e-mail. I asked them why the keyboard was not originally listed on their own website. They responded by saying that the keyboard was too new. That means the website is not updated frequently and is of little use. Let us just hope that their service is better than this.

This is the keyboard for acoustic pianists at heart.

I am mostly a classical pianist. I bought this keyboard for gigs and for MIDI recording on a computer (not professionally). I still prefer playing a full grand, but for gigs and recording, this can't be beat.

This keyboard sounds the closest to a real piano. It is portable, rugged and light. The action is second to none. The sound is more than adequate, and the best I've heard for a keyboard.

I've tried/owned keyboards from Yamaha, Korg, Roland, and Technics. This seems to be the best substitute to toting a full-sized grand piano.

Very easy to use. Manual is typical of Japanese-translated to English, but seems better written than some

64V polyphony, weighted action, built in effects, no expansion capability, transmits velocity via MIDI. Only comment is that the "F" keys, when you play right handed and hit them with your pinky, they tend to make a "klacking" sound. Other keys are quiet, only "F" keys do this. "Wall wart" power supply is huge inconvenience.

I hooked it up direct to Yamaha MSP5 active monitors to gave it a try in my practice room. Sounded good. I tried it at a gig with 2 Mackie SRM450 speakers, and was a little disappointed. The piano sounds very good alone, but there is some problem with using it live amongst a group of players. Not sure if it is compression of sounds, or effects, but it seemed to get lost in the mix. Also, there is a problem with velocity curve that somehow affects release of notes. Seems that some notes have no release at all if velocity is too light.

I have used it on a gig without backup, and it seems to be reliable. Not so sure about annoying "wall wart" power supply. May want to carry an extra one of those.

I have owned more than 30 keyboards and probably more than that many synth/sample rack mount units in the last 15-20 years of which I've played professionally. I keep looking for the best weight to sound ratio for a digital piano, as I stopped lugging a 54-lb. Roland RD600 piano plus the weight of a flight case. I used a Yamaha P80 before the SX-P50. Not sure if I would buy this keyboard again. Dealer offered to take it back. Not sure if I'll keep it or not. It does fit perfect into the great soft bag case that Yamaha makes for the P80. I did like the RD600 better, but it was too heavy. This is a reasonable attempt at a digital piano for gigging with very good sounds, but I have to say that I have some reservations about purchasing it.

This is a digital piano, in the same class as the Yamaha P80 and lots of others. I bought it about two months ago to use at home with headphones so I can play at night, and for playing out. The Technics P50 is a useful instrument that I can be expressive on. It was really easy to figure out; you will need the manual to access all the features by button-pressing.

I got this keyboard after trying the P30 and Yamaha P80 in music stores. I haven't had any trouble with polyphony so I don't really care how many notes it can play. The keyboard action took some getting used to but it is piano-like, which is exactly what I wanted. The touch adjustment (light, normal, hard) makes a big difference in the attack so I change it depending on how I want to sound. Compared with the P80 it seems a little "spongy" to me but the sounds have so much more presence to my ears compared to the P80 that I decided to go with the Technics. It has two effects, reverb (several varieties) and a "digital effect" which is sort of celeste-like. I haven't gotten into the MIDI capabilities at all but I am glad that it has MIDI in and out. I don't care about the sequencer. All I care about is playing live and recording. Right now I am recording through a mixer into my computer sound card and it sounds great.

All three pianos (Classical grand, pop grand, and upright) are useful and sound very present and realistic. The bass is great and is much more present than the P80. The notes sustain for a long time with a beautiful decay and I can't really hear any looping through headphones. The top end is nice and woody but most digital pianos have that down pat now. My personal favorite is the upright, which works well with most of what I play (jazz). The classical grand is also very nice; I hear that Technics samples Steinway and the bass sure sounds like it. The pop grand is very bright and I can imagine it would cut through better than the others but since I play solo a lot I haven't used it yet. The e-pianos (2) are also useful; one sounds like a DX ep (#2) and #1 has more of the octave plus a fifth overtone so I think it wouldn't blend as well with other instruments. Both have a nice bite when you hit the keys hard; if you want more or less set the touch accordingly and it will do what you want it to. The harpsichord and vibes are better than I expected but when would you ever use them? Forget the strings and voice. The organs are a pleasant surprise. The church organs would be useful in the appropriate setting (I play church organ too) and some of the jazz organs are useful. I like J3 the best. I can sound just like Ronnie Barron's B3 on Dr. John's version of "Big Chief" on the "Gumbo album using that stop with the digital effect on. An interesting feature is the tuning option. You can use a "stretched" tuning or a pefect "well-tempered" tuning. The stretched tuning sounds very realistic to me. It gives the sound some soul instead of the perfection of the other tuning which sounds too canned to me. The bottom line is I can be as expressive as I want to on this keyboard, dynamics, attack, useful choices for voices. Only flaw I have found is three notes in the acoustic pianos (Ab, A, and Bb above middle C) that sound a little tinny-- hard to describe. Maybe it's at the extreme end of a sampling range or maybe it was a mic placement thing during sampling. The better the amp and speakers, the more it shows up, but it is less noticeable through headphones. Maybe the stereo effect with the headphones helps. Would love to talk to the Technics engineers about this one. I don't think anyone else who has heard my piano has heard this so far.

I have used it on gigs without a backup. First time I used it was a memorial service for a friend who died. I had 10 minutes to set up. Everything worked out fine and I got compliments on the sound. It seems to be sturdy, cabinet is brushed finish aluminum; buttons seem to be durable. I almost forgot to mention; it is very light (36 lbs?) and easy to carry in a gig bag that the dealer had. Get a table stand, not an X stand, or you will have the "wobblies" if you attack like a piano player.

Technics is part of Panasonic, which is part of... You get the picture. It is actually nice to have a dealer (piano store) to work with. I lost the manual and it was nice to be able to call the store and get a photocopy right away. The Technics/Panasonic web site is fairly useless, however. I would go through the dealer every time.
No other problems yet, so I really don't know.

I would definitely consider getting it again, unless something new was better. I have been playing piano and organ for 42 years, jazz, rock, R & B, and church. I also have a Wurlitzer 140B and a spinet acoustic piano. I play the Technics through a small Behringer mixer into a Mackie SRM-450 powered speaker. If I could afford a second speaker I would get one, because the piano output is stereo and it would sound even better that way. Get something good to play this piano through or you will waste the money you spent on it. I love the instrument's expressiveness and the presence of its sounds. I don't like those three notes mentioned above, but in a way, it makes it more real (I don't know any acoustic piano that doesn't have idiosyncracies like that). I can be me on this instrument.

This review is based upon playing a unit at a store, reviewing
its specs, and thinking hard about its advantages and disadvantages.
As will be clear below, I like this keyboard a lot. However, I am
holding off on buying it because the action isn't
optimal for me. Also, in my area, Technics keyboards are only
being sold through piano stores rather than general music instrument
stores like Guitar Center. Piano stores are used to selling acoustic pianos and
console electronic pianos at high markup, and this keyboard isn't
worth the high markup they want (more than double the internet price).
So far there is only one internet outlet I've seen that sells this model.

The unit is extremely easy to use. The only thing that's not immediately
obvious is that to get different organ sounds, you have to hold down the organ present button the
same time as you hit the transpose buttons.

There are no expansion capabilities, beyond basic MIDI capability. There
no sequencer. There are few effects. For my purposes, these limitations
don't matter at all, as I'm looking primarily for a keyboard that I can
play out of the box, with acceptable action, and good piano, electric
piano, and organ sounds, that is lightweight enough to carry and set up
easily at gigs and practices. 64 note polyphony is more than adequate
for real-world use. At a little over 35 pounds, this is perhaps
the lightest portable 81-note keyboard that has an acceptable action.

The keyboard action is quite good. Obviously, this is a very subjective
area. For example, I find the Yamaha P-80 action to be too stiff. This action is lighter.
However, I prefer the action on Kawai keyboards -- it's lighter and more
responsive to my style of playing. While the action supposedly is adjustable,
I didn't find much difference in the different settings.

Again, in comparison with more complicated (and heavier and more expensive)
keyboards, capabilities are limited. There are only 18 sounds, and the
strings and voice aren't very good. That being said,
the sounds that are important to me as a musician are surprisingly good.
As is obvious, this is an extremely
subjective area and people will have different reactions,
but to my ears, two of the piano sounds are quite
acceptable, both of the electric pianos are very good, and several of the
organ sounds are more than good enough to use in gigs. There are easy to use
reverb and chorus effects (they don't call it chorus, but that's
what it is), and the amount of "brilliance" can be adjusted. I think
the keyboard would be great for rock applications.

Don't know.

Technics replied within an hour or two to some basic technical questions I
sent by E-Mail, which is impressive, although they didn't go into
detail. Can't tell how they'd be for more complicated problems.

I've played keyboards for over 20 years. I've played almost all of
the so-called portable ones. The SX-P50 is a great advance over the
SX-P30.

I didn't get this keyboard for the reasons listed earlier. I'm leaning
towards the Kawai ESX, which has better action. However, Kawai also
seems to choose acoustic piano dealers to sell its products, so
the markup is also excessive for their units.